Steam's Lost Empire III

Featuring 191 black and white and color photographs of all types of steam locomotives from numerous railroads (but mostly large steam power), plus captivating history and a wide selection of articles from past Kalmbach Media publications, this 100-page softbound booklet is just the kind of publication you can sit down with, enjoy a cup of coffee or a beer, and dream about the railroad glories of the past.

The opening article by William Moedinger relives the history of the revived East Top Railroad in Pennsylvania with 10 detailed pages of this narrow gauge line's past history supplemented with wonderful photos. Well-known author Robert A. Le Massena presents his story of the birth of railroading’s largest steamers such as the Erie's 2-8-8-0, the Pennsy's Q-2 4-4-6-4, Michigan Central’s Lima-built Super Power 2-8-0’s and Northern Pacific’s giant 2-8-8-4s built by Alco. A captivating 10-page article with large photos follows entitled “Right-Hand Man in the Cab” detailing how the engineer is the key man on the right side of the locomotive.

“West Trenton: New Jersey's Hot Spot” is an article from the August, 1968 Trains magazine of the Reading’s multiple-tracked New York branch, a place to watch super train action in the late 1930s and 1940s. The line was part of the Baltimore & Ohio's famous Royal Blue Line. Excellent photography accompanies this eight-page spread.

Other intriguing articles include the legacy of USRA steam locomotives, a story detailing Georgia’s quaint short line Gainesville Midland and railroading in the Blue Mountains of Oregon. In all, this is a well-documented, intriguing publication that will keep you entertained for a long while.

—By Don Heimburger, Heimburger House Publishing Co.